Big plays hurt winless Millionaires

October 27, 2012

Behind an explosive air attack and a punishing ground game, Crestwood took down Williamsport, 36-17, in Williamsport on Friday night.

On a critical third down and with his team backed up in its own territory, Crestwood quarterback Jay Popson broke the back of the Williamsport defense.

With three receivers to his right and Kota Kishel isolated to his left, Popson dropped back and surveyed the field, with Kishel streaking up the sideline. Popson cut the ball lose just as Kishel broke away from his defender.

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Jerah Reeves is pushed out of bounds at the end of the first half Friday vs. Crestwood.

The receiver strolled up the sideline for a 97-yard touchdown pass that sucked the air out of a Williamsport defense that looked as though it would make the breakthrough stop deep in Crestwood territory.

"That's something we have been doing all year," said Crestwood head coach Greg Myers. "We have a lot of big play capabilities and that is certainly one of them. Jay's got a heck of an arm and not too many people can cover Kota - he's got some speed."

The big play was just one of several for the Comets, as Kishel alone went for 197 yards on four catches, including two that were over 60 yards.

Along with Kishel making plays through the air, the Comets pounded the ball with Frank Aigeldinger, who rushed for 146 yards on 26 carries before being helped off the field with an injury in the third quarter.

"We feel we can do a little bit of both and we can take advantage of what the defense is giving us," Myers said of the balanced offense. "We thought coming into the game it would be the off-tackle run game that would be there for us and it certainly was tonight. Our kids executed and we have gave (Williamsport) a couple of big plays but we found a way to get it done."

For the Millionaires, the game was one that was filled with close plays that, had they gone the other way, would have changed the complexion of the game.

The 97-yard pass to Kishel was just one of a few plays that got Crestwood out of deep territory while Williamsport just missed some big plays of their own-most notably a dropped pass from a wide-open receiver that would have most likely trotted into the end zone.

"We had some receivers who were wide open and there were a lot of different things that went on and this is atypical of a young team," said Williamsport head coach Kevin Choate, who is battling colon cancer and watched the game from the press box. "It's young kids playing out of position and not realizing the situation they are in."

And despite the missed opportunities, the Millionaires did get big plays from quarterback Sadiq Burkholder and running back Devin Miller.

Burkholder, whom scrambled for a 59-yard run in the first quarter, caught the only pass the Millionaires completed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

And along with Burkholder, Miller made his presence felt on Williamsport's final play from scrimmage, as the running back exploded for a 64-yard touchdown run with under four seconds to go.

"We were trying to get the ball to them all night long," Choate said. "Crestwood did a good job of keeping us from getting the ball to our play makers."